The Midshipman's Progress

By William Bertram

A Play abridged from the 1809 Ben Brown's Rite of Passage.

• Language: English
• Publisher: William Bertram
• Release date: Jun 17, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301379255

William Bertram

Bill Bertram has for the last forty years researched Britain’s late 18th and early 19th century Merchant and Royal Navy ships. At University, he specialised in the design and performance of wooden warships. He is now a maritime historian and writer living near Devonport Royal Naval Base, England.Bill’s work has been coloured by his historical knowledge and experience of seamanship, he has an unique approach to maritime history and has developed a dramatic style of writing that explores the brass tacks of historic maritime fiction. For him a good story must explain what is going on around the subject, it is extremely important that the background of the story is factually correct.Bill attended Plymouth University for his degree in Maritime History and Marine Technology. His dissertation on the sailing qualities of 19th century warships was rapidly accepted and broadcast on Television and Radio as well as being published in the New Scientist and in journals all around the world. During his time at University, he satisfied his academic curiosity and his need to eat, by becoming a guide at Plymouth Naval Base Museum and a receptionist at Fort Bovisand.For several years, he pursued this speciality further. The next years were fulfilling as a teacher, but retirement threatened and so Bill returned to his major academic love, maritime history, luckily he was in a city steeped in the past glories of her relationship with the sea. Now free from a profession, Bill again returned to his first love, the sea and writing historic novels. As a teenager, Bill loved the Hornblower novels by C. S. Forester and had always dreamed of writing books in that genre.It was at this point in Bill’s history that he decided to write books based on the history of Plymouth and its seafaring people. Resolving to write a mixture of factual and fiction books, his first three books progressed through several generations of the same family, he centred his rags to riches stories around the Brown family. Using factual evidence, he interwove the characters around Plymouth’s 18th century history and streets. This clearly involved many long days of research and fact-finding, however, eventually he wrote his first novel and swiftly followed it with two more in rapid succession. The first three books that Bill wrote are indeed based on an 18th century Plymouthian family who are clearly fictional, however, this can never be said of his novel’s backgrounds, here Bill has meticulously used old maps, drawings and records to build up an historic environment for his characters to exist in.Similarly with the three plays that have been also been composed, these also revolve about the same family, but are set in different centuries, but all involve the Plymouth Brown family and all deal with a period of historical significance.Bill Bertram has since published six books, He lives and writes from his home in Plymouth, for relaxation, Bill visits the sea daily and he is currently the owner of an Edwardian Steamboat in which he potters about.

Book preview

The Midshipman's Progress.

a

Radio Play

by

William Bertram

Published by William Bertram at Smashwords

Copyright 2013 William Bertram

Discover other plays by William Bertram at Smashwords.com

Cast List

Major Characters.

Midshipman Ben Brown, 14 years old, Innocent

1st Lieutenant Clifford, 28 years old, Natural leader

2nd Lieutenant Brent, 23 years old, Well to do Officer

Bosun 39, years old, Tough & experienced

Appearing for a few lines in more than one scene.

Donovan (Seaman), 35 years, old Rough Irishman

Captain Broughton, 37 years old, Experienced sailor

Prosser, 45 years old, Likes a frequent drink

Molly (Trollop 1), 30 years old, Tart with a heart

Mary (Trollop 2), 38 years old, hardened.

Jones, 41 years old, Welsh Sailor

Mr Rush, 34 years old, Ship's clerk

Part of one Scene only, characters can be doubled.

Isaac, 50 years old, East Euro accent, Jewish Merchant

Foster, 39 years old, Lecherous Sailor.

Hodges, 24 years old, Apprentice pervert

Davis, 25 years old, Medical helper

Not more than a couple of lines or words. Could be doubled up

Young, 78 years old, Partially deaf

Green, 40 years old, New recruit

Parker, 28 years old, Bosun's mate

Dillon, 30 years old, Sailor

Dillon's tart, 27 years old, Rough as old boots

Campbell, 25 years old, Scottish Drunken Sailor

2nd man, 28 years old, Medical helper

In addition, odd words from certain people in background.

Theme: - The beginnings of awareness for an naive individual

Intro and exit scene Music, (not singing) Fades in and out at beginning and end of scenes. Farewell and adieu to you Spanish ladies. (Sometimes know just as Spanish ladies)

(Portsmouth late in the year 1808, the scene opens on the upper deck of H.M.S. Ariadne, (frigate) the day before she sails.)

Scene 1 Quarterdeck, EXT Day Fade in of Music.

(Slight Pause)

Fade out of Music

(Distant sounds of women crying, seagulls cawing and the hubbub of a makeshift market on the upper deck. Overall, is the Voice of the ship’s Bosun telling the Women to go ashore and leave their new men? Always in the background, is the constant creaking and groaning noises of the ship, the wind and the cry of the gulls.)

(Ship bell rings seven times)

Lieutenant Clifford

(Sound of footsteps climbing steps)

Ah Lieutenant Brent, I see you're early for your watch, that will make a change. Careful I don’t get used to it.

Lieutenant Brent

Aye, well, Lieutenant Clifford, tis better on the quarterdeck than bored rigid in my cabin.

(Sounds of movement in background as sailors rush around.)

Lieutenant Clifford

I know what you mean. I hate being anchored in Pompy for more than a week, especially whilst we have two hundred and fifty drunks on board.

Lieutenant Brent

(Annoyed)

Not to mention their damned women.

Lieutenant Clifford

Don't talk to me about those damned trollops, their noise kept me damn well awake all the night. Were it up to me I would throw the entire bloody mob overboard. Oh by the way. Captain's orders. No watch change this afternoon, we are doubling up the watch, sailing tomorrow. Thank God.

(Irritated)

Lieutenant Brent

Amen to that.

(Slight Pause)

Look Lieutenant, here comes that new Midshipman, he's heading this way.

Lieutenant Clifford

He shares my watch, I sent him to do the rounds, while it's quiet.

(Noise of playful screaming in the background)

Lieutenant Brent

I don't call this quiet.

Lieutenant Clifford

Well it's damn well quieter than earlier, at one point we must